Even though there has been a lot of investment in digital technologies, such as increasing access to internet, hubs, incubators, accelerators and online training platforms, entrepreneurship job creation is still limited by factors such as financing  for young founders, constraining startup environment, lack of mentorship, inadequate investment in developing entrepreneurial skills. All in all, the youth still needs to find opportunities to actualise their livelihood and create wealth.

This interactive session looks to:

1. Explore current challenges that still hinder the potential digital technologies could have on job creation.

2. Explore some successful models that utilize digital tech to create jobs for the youth in Africa

3. Explore some unanswered questions/loopholes that still exist with the current models

4. Ideate and prototype an ideal model for job creation for the youths using digital technologies for West Africa; case example, Ghana

5. Ideate on how to get to the ideal model for job creation

Session flow

A) Short (problem) statements that show the current situation in Africa   (e.g. (1) IT literacy amongst youth, (2) Number of hours that are spent in the classroom teaching IT skills, (2) youth unemployment (%), (3) Number of young people targeted by programs that teach tech and entrepreneurship outside school…)

C) Short presentation of example programs that bridge the gap between skill demand and supply in African countries

D) Case study presented by Nelson Kwaje, WEB4ALL

E) Ideate on an ideal program to enable more youths to be employed in the digital sector/use technology to find employment (job platforms, networks, remote work opportunities)

F) Actionable next steps and recommendations presented by Ivy Barley.